Under Pressure From Trump, Venezuela’s New President Has Aces Up Her

Published: 18 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez finds herself navigating a perilous political tightrope after the dramatic ouster and capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces in January. With U.S. pressure under President Donald Trump intense and expectations high for cooperation, Rodríguez appears to be using a blend of domestic and diplomatic levers to maintain power and avoid becoming a simple U.S. proxy — suggesting she has more room to manoeuvre than many observers first expected.

Originally Maduro’s vice-president and a lifelong Chavista, Rodríguez stepped into leadership at a tumultuous moment. Trump has publicly praised her and implied that Venezuela is now effectively under U.S. influence, framing her role as a partner in stabilising the country and its vital oil sector. However, Rodríguez has also been careful to retain Chavista rhetoric and appeal to Venezuelans wary of foreign control. Her communications strike an uneasy balance between acknowledging U.S. engagement and defending Venezuela’s sovereignty, a strategy designed to placate both Washington and domestic critics.

One of Rodríguez’s strongest “aces” lies in Venezuela’s oil wealth. After decades of economic collapse and hyperinflation under Maduro, the country’s vast oil reserves remain a key bargaining chip. Under U.S. pressure, her administration has signalled a shift toward opening Venezuela’s **state oil sector to **foreign investment and cooperation with U.S. energy firms — a dramatic policy change from past Chavista orthodoxy. Rodríguez has openly called for lawmakers to approve reforms that would give foreign companies access to energy infrastructure, a move that could woo investment and provide much-needed revenue for the crisis-stricken economy.

In a tense diplomatic environment, Rodríguez also appears to be playing Washington and her own political base against each other. Publicly, she has used language rooted in historical anti-imperialist sentiment — including references to U.S. power as “invader” and “imperialist” — to reassure hardline supporters that she remains committed to the Chavista project. At the same time, she maintains courteous, if cautious, engagement with Trump administration officials. Trump himself has characterised their relationship as “mutually respectful,” even while acknowledging the conflicting signals her rhetoric sends.

That dual stance gives Rodríguez flexibility. She is not simply a figurehead of U.S. policy; she can claim political legitimacy inside Venezuela by appealing to nationalist sentiments, while also presenting herself abroad as a pragmatic partner for investment and energy cooperation. Analysts argue this gives her leverage — allowing her to negotiate from a position of relative strength, rather than simply capitulate to external pressure.

Rodríguez’s balancing act underscores how Venezuela’s political landscape is still in flux. With lingering economic challenges, a fractured opposition and intense international scrutiny, her ability to exploit diplomatic, economic and ideological “aces” may determine whether Venezuela embarks on a genuine transition or continues a complex, contested evolution of power.

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